Cigar-cutter.



PATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

J. T. PATERSON. CIGAR "CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1903.

WITNESSES. lNVENTOR James]? Pa terson.

Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. PATERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIGAR-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,514, dated April 4, 1905.

Application filed September 4, 1903. Serial No. 172,010.

To 11,7] whom) it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES T. PATERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Cutters, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

' My invention relates to cigar-cutters or devices for cutting ofi the ends of cigars to prepare them for smoking.

The object of my invention is to simplify and improve such devices.

The scope of my invention may be determined by an inspection of the claims terminating this specification.

In the drawings accompanying herewith I have shown my invention embodied in a form which is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my device, and Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

In carrying out my invention I employ a member having a hole for the reception of the end of the cigar to be out, which member I have called acigar-end-receiving member. This member is movable under the thrust of the cigar, and the movement so caused is utilized to actuate the knife to cut off the cigar end. The parts are then returned to their normal position of readiness by means of another force, preferably by a counterweight.

To successfully operate a cigar-cutter upon this plan, it is important to reduce the resistance of the parts to a minimum and also to distribute the cutting action of the knife over as much of the time of movement as possible, failing which the cigar is liable to become broken or injured, because of the amount of pressure required. I have found a device constructed as herein shown and described, the same being the form now preferred by me, to operate perfectly and Without injury to the cigar. As therein shown, my device is mounted upon and within a box-like base or casing A, which although preferable is by no means a necessary part of my invention. This base,

as shown, has neither top or bottom, but has a shallow pan K within it designed to catch and retain the cigar-tips. The cigar-end-receiving or socket member is mounted upon the base or other suitable support and has a hole adapted to receive the end of the cigar which is to be cut off. The movable cigar-end-receiving member, as herein shown, consists of a swinging cover-plate B, which is pivoted by pivots 0 upon the casing A and at one end has the cigar-end-receiving hole or socket I. I prefer to provide this cover-plate with end and side flanges Z) and b, so that the casing is normally closed.

The knife-blade which is herein shown is a plate pivoted at one end and having its cutting edge at the other end and eccentrically disposed with reference to its pivot and is actuated by suitable connections from the rocking motion of the member which contains the cigar-end-receivinghole. The cutting-blade of whatever shape it may be is so mounted and actuated that its cutting edge makes a small or acute angle with the direction of motion of the blade, so that the apparent movement of the cutting edge across the opening is transversely of the actual direction of movement of the blade, thereby producing a draw out which smoothly severs the cigar end and distributes the cutting action throughout the movement of the cigar-end-receivingmember, thus reducing the power required at any given instant. I have herein defined the shape of the cutting edge as being eccentrically disposed with reference to the pivot, by which I do not mean that the cutting edge is necessarily an arc of a circle, but that the point corresponding most nearly with the center of the curve forming the edge of the cutting-blade is removed to one side of the pivot upon which the blade is swung, whereby when the blade is swung the cutting edge swings over the hole, making a slight angle with its direction of movement. I have found that this feature contributes greatly to the smooth and easy cutting of the cigar end and is especially desirable where, as in the mechanism herein illustrated, the power for operating the device is obtained from the end thrust of the cigar against the walls of a hole in a movable member. This method of supplying the power to actuate the cutting member is very apt to break or injure the cigar unless the strain is reduced to the minimum, and yet it is the most convenient and acceptable method for the smoker.

There are many ways in which the cuttingblade may be mounted and actuated to secure the above result. The method of mounting now preferred by me is to pivotally mount the cutting-blade E upon the under side of the swinging or tilting member or cover B, said cutting-blade being so shaped that its cutting edge e is eccentrically disposed with reference to its pivot F, the forward end of the cutting edge in its normal orinoperative position being just outside the periphery of the cigarend-receiving hole I or between said hole and the pivot of said blade and the following or opposite end of the cutting edge being sufficiently farther from the pivot F that when the blade is swung forward it will extend beyond the opposite side of said hole. In Fig. 2 I have shown this position by dotted lines. There are also many ways by which this blade may be operated. The means preferred by me in the type of device herein shown consists of an arm or link D, which is pivotally supported from the base or frame upon a fixed pivot H, located beneath the pivot C of the swinging or tilting cover B and is connected at its other end with the blade E. As the two pivots II and C are separated considerably, simultaneous movement of both parts upon their pivot will produce considerable relative movement between their outer or swinging ends.

The connection between the outer end of the arm D and the cutting-blade should preferably be of such a loose or flexible character as to produce no binding due to the compound motions of the parts. The point .where connection is made with the cutting-blade should preferably be between the cutting edge and the pivot, so that there'is a greater travel of the cutting edge than of the end of the arm D. The use of a draw cut such as has been hereinbefore. described necessitates an increase in the extent of the cutting movement, and as it is inconvenient and undesirable to make the movement of the cover more than a very limited amount this movement may most readily be obtained by location of the pin G, by which the arm D is connected with the cutting-blade a proper distance from the pivot.

In devices of this character it is desirable to eliminate the use of springs. I have therefore provided a counterweight for the purpose of returning the parts to their normal position of readiness. This counterweight might be applied in numerous ways-as, for instance, by securing it to the end of the coverplate E; but I prefer to employ it as an extension cZ of the arm D, by which construction I attain another desirable result, which will be hereinafter pointed out.

By using a counterweight a continuous and b X but very sllght resistance is made to the cigar,

due to the action of the returning device. If a spring were used to return the parts, its resistance would increase as the cover was moved downward, and therefore more strain would be put upon the cigar, with a correspondingly-increased danger of breaking it. Moreover, a spring is liable to breakage and derangement to which a counterweight is not subject.

It will be noted that in the construction shown the counterweight acts to hold the cutting-blade closely against the cover, which contains the cigar-end-receiving hole. In fact, the unbalanced weight of the cover is supported by the cutting-blade. This holds the cutting edge in close contact with the under surface of said cover, where its action will be most effective, and also by the continual rubbing of the blade and cover together the blade will be automatically sharpened and kept in efficient cutting condition.

The mounting of the arm D upon the rod H should be of such character as will permit such a slight lateral movement of the outer end of the arm as is due to the movement of the pin G in the are of a circle. I secure this by loosely fitting it over the rod H and securing it in position by any suitable means, as by a pin or pins it, which may pass through both arm D and rod H or only through rod H on each side of the arm.

I have shown the pivot-pin F as provided with a lateral extension f beneath the cuttingblade, which in all working positions will support the blade, but by shifting the blade farther back may be passed through a corresponding slot f in the blade, so that the blade may be readily placed in position and removed without removing a screw and also without danger of a screws getting lost.

If desired, a tray or pan K may be placed within the casing to catch the severed cigartips.

The operation of my device is as follows: The end of the cigar (shown at J, Fig. 1) is inserted in the hole I and downward pressure applied, which causes the plate B to swing downward. This also throws down the arm or lever D, which swings the cutting-blade E forward, so as to pass its cutting edge over the hole I, thus cutting off the projecting end of the cigar. Upon lifting the cigar the co unterweight returns the parts to their normal position.

While I have herein particularly described a certain construction, this is only a preferred form, and I am not to be understood as limiting my invention to this form, but as claiming any form which falls within the terms of the claims annexed hereto.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cigar-cutter comprising a base, a member pivotally fixed thereon and having a hole or socket for the reception of a cigar end, a knife pivoted upon said member on a pivot substantially parallel with the axis of said hole and having a cutting edge eccentric to its a pivot, and means mounted on said base and operated by the rocking of said member to swing the cutting edge of the knife across said hole, and means to automatically return said first member to its normal position.

2. In a cigar-cutter, in combination, a socket member having a hole for the reception of a cigar end, a base upon which said socket member is pivotally fixed, a cutting-blade pivoted upon said socket member on a pivot substantially parallel with the axis of said hole and adapted to swing its cutting edge across said hole, a lever or arm mounted upon a pivot removed from the pivot of said socket member and also pivoted to said base and connected with said cutting-blade to swing it, and means to automatically return said first member to its normal position.

3. A cigar-cutter comprising abase, a socket member mounted to swing about a fixed pivot carried by said base and having an opening or socket for the reception of a cigar end, a cutting-blade pivotally carried upon said swinging member and having an eccentrically-disposed cutting edge, and a lever or arm having a fixed pivot removed from said swinging socket member and its pivot and engaging the cutting-blade to operate it, and means operative through said arm to hold the side face of the cutting-blade against the face of said swinging socket member.

4. A cigar-cutter comprising abase, a socket member mounted to swing about a fixed pivot carried by said base and having an opening or socket for the reception of the cigar end, a cutting-blade pivotally carried upon the said socket member-and having an eccentricallydisposed cutting edge, a lever or arm engaging the cutting-blade to operate it and pivoted independently of said swinging member and removed from its pivot, and a counterweight acting upon said arm to return said parts to their normal position.

5. A cigar-cutter comprising a base, a swinging or tilting member carried thereby and having an opening for the reception of the cigar end, a cutting-blade pivoted on said swinging member and adapted to swing across said opening, and an arm or lever having a pivot removed from said swinging member and its pivot and engaging the cutting-blade to operate it, said lever having a counterweighted extension adapted to return the parts to their normal position and to hold the cutting-blade against the swinging member.

6. A cigar-cutter comprising a box-like casing or base, a cover-plate therefor having a hole for the reception of the cigar end, a pivot for said cover-plate carried by said casing and lying in a plane substantially at right angles to the axis of said hole, a cutting-blade pivoted to the cover-plate and having an eccentrically-disposed cutting edge adaptedto swing across said hole, and a lever or arm engaging said cutting-blade to operate it and pivoted independently of the cover-plate and beneath its pivot.

7. A cigar-cutter comprising a box-like casing, a cover-plate therefor mounted to rock and having a hole for the reception of the cigar end, a cutting-blade pivoted beneath the cover-plate, a lever or arm pivoted independently of the cover-plate and beneath its pivot and engaging said cutting-blade, said lever being mounted to permit a slight free lateral movement of its end lengthwise of its axis.

8. A cigar-cutter comprising a cigar-endreceiving or socket member adapted to be reciprocated and having a hole through which the end of the cigar may project, a knife pivoted upon said socket member and adapted to be moved to cut the projecting end of the cigar, a device having a weight normally pressing said socket member upward and also pressing the knife against the said socket member, the weighted device being operated by the movement of said socket member in one direction to move said knife across said hole and to raise said weight.

9. A cigar-cutter comprising a cigar-endreceiving or socket member adapted to be reciprocated and having a hole through which the end of a cigar may project, a knife pivoted upon said socket member and adapted to cut the projecting end of the cigar, and a counterweighted lever pivoted independently of the socket member and engaging said knife to operate it and also pressing said knife against said socket member to thereby return the latter into position for use.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 29thday of July, 1903.

JAMES T. PATERSON. Witnesses:

EMERSON R. NnwnLL, BEATRICE MIRvIs. 

